The majority of people follow certain trends, including how they read a web page.
The visual presentation of a web interface is essential for:
- Informing users — Like an invisible hand, the interface should guide users from one action to the next without feeling overbearing.
- Communicating content relationships — The interface should present content in a way that matches how users prioritize information.
- Creating emotional impact — People visit restaurants for more than just an edible meal. They want taste, texture, presentation, and a memorable ambiance. Interface design is no different, and people may actually be more prone to forgive your site’s shortcomings if you produce a positive emotional response.
How the human eye reads a website talks about the predictability of the human eye.
The two predominant reading patterns for cultures who read left to right is the F-Pattern and the Z-Pattern.
With the F-Pattern, your eye reads the top, upper left corner and left sides of the screen most. It is typically used for text-heavy websites like blogs.
With the Z-Pattern, your eye reads left-to-right from the top. When the eye reaches the end, it shoots down and left, and repeats a horizontal search on the lower part of the page.
The Z-pattern is perfect for interfaces where simplicity is a priority and the call to action is the main takeaway.
Predicting where the user’s eye will go can be a huge advantage. Before arranging the elements on your page, prioritize the most and least important ones. Once you know what you want your users to see, it’s just a simple matter of placing them in the pattern’s ‘hot spots’ for the right interactions.
I think it’s fascinating. How about you?
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